


When in Gotham

by Wrighter92 (AncientDemonSkeldritch)



Category: Young Justice (Cartoon)
Genre: Gen, The team learns more about Robin, Training
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-05-26
Updated: 2015-05-26
Packaged: 2018-04-01 06:54:35
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,078
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4010140
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/AncientDemonSkeldritch/pseuds/Wrighter92
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>The team finds Batman training Robin at the cave but are shocked at his methods.</p>
            </blockquote>





	When in Gotham

A loud thump came from behind the training room doors, followed by the sharp order, "Again."

The thump came again, this time louder and accompanied by a small grunt. The shame harsh voice rang out, "Again. You were sloppy on the landing."

Curious, Wally opened the heavy steel door and peaked inside. He just had time to glimpse the two figures standing near the uneven bars when strong hands pushed him roughly through the door. Artemis dismissed the speedster’s indignant complaint as she brushed past him. M’gann, Kaldur, and Conner, the rest of the Young Justice team, followed her into the room. They all took in the scene in front of them, not quite believing what they saw.

Batman stood in the center of the room, his back to the team as he faced the set of uneven bars that had been set up for the use of the bird now spinning and flipping around them. Robin was in a red and grey exercise outfit, wearing his black and white domino mask. As his teammates watched, they saw Robin let go of the higher bar, flip twice, and land neatly on the mat below.

Once he stopped moving, it became apparent that the boy was exhausted. Despite the perfect landing, Robin's legs shook with the effort of holding him up and his chest heaved to take in rapid breaths. Sweat dripped from his brow and his raven black hair was plastered to his forehead.

Despite his protégé's obvious exhaustion, Batman once more commanded, "Again."

Slowly, Robin obeyed. He dragged himself back to the bars and began the routine again. This time, as the young hero was swinging around one of the bars his hand slipped and he lost his grip. For a fraction of a second Robin seemed to hang suspended in midair before he fell and hit the ground with a thump and a poorly suppressed groan.

For a few seconds, Batman allowed Robin to lay on the ground and catch his breath. Then, to the team's shock and horror, Batman again commanded his protégé up, adding, "If you were in the field you'd be dead now. Don't slip.

Robin slowly forced himself to his feet, nodded once at his mentor's advice, and grabbed hold of the the bars again.

While they watched, M'gann set up a mind link with the rest of them team so they could talk without the Dynamic Duo hearing

_We have to stop him_ , she said, her concern evident even in the others minds, _Robin's going to collapse if he keeps going like this._

_I do not want to presume to tell Batman how to train Robin_ , Kaldur began hesitantly, _but I do not agree with pushing him so hard._

M'gann asked slowly, as if afraid of the answer, _Do you think he really meant what he said? That Robin would be dead if he slipped up on the field?_

_They work in Gotham, M’gann_ , Wally said somewhat harshly, _The villains there aren't right. It's...it's..._

_It's not a good place to grow up_ , Artemis supplied, _When you're in Gotham, one wrong move could get you killed._

_Is it really that bad?_ M'gann asked, her eyes going wide as Robin started the routine again, this time slower than the last. Artemis and Wally both nodded silently, not meeting the martian's eyes. Conner remained silent, but his forehead creased in confusion. He couldn’t figure out why Batman would be so hard on Robin. He had always assumed that the two had a very close bond, but Batman’s training seemed downright cruel.

Just as Wally and Artemis were getting ready to start forward and stop Batman, the Dark Knight's voice rang out again, "Stop. Go take a shower, we'll continue tomorrow."

With that, Batman turned with a swish of his cape. He eyed the young heros for a moment before passing them swiftly, not once looking back at Robin. As soon as the hero was out of sight the team rushed toward their youngest member.

The moment Batman ordered him to stop, Robin had grabbed a water bottle from a nearby bench and started draining it faster than Wally could finish three double cheese burgers on an empty stomach. Within seconds the bottle was empty and the boy wonder gave up trying to stand. With a thud he landed on his knees before settling his back against the bench, his eyes closed behind his domino mask, still breathing heavily.

"Robin! Are you okay? Why did he keep you going for so long?" M'gann asked anxiously when she reached the bird.

Slowly, Robin's eyes opened and he looked up at his assembled team, all staring down at him with concerned expressions. He stood up wearily, brushing off the offered help.

Finally on his feet, Robin took a moment to get his breath back before he said bluntly, "I'm fine. That's how Batman and I survive. I can't mess up in Gotham or I'll get injured or captured or killed," his friends flinched at the matter-of-fact way he talked about death, but Robin continued in a hard voice, glaring at them from behind his domino mask, "I've worked through worse than this more times than I can count. It's perfection or death, simple as that. Pushing me is Batman's way of showing he cares. If he can keep me from getting killed, he'll train me for however long it takes for me to get it right. I don't have the luxury of a second chance or a team to rely on when we're on patrol. If he has to stop fighting to save me, then the bad guys get away. I can't let that happen."

In a startlingly precise imitation of his mentor, the boy wonder turned from his friends and strode toward the showers. The only clue of his exhaustion were the way his feet dragged on the floor and the slight slump of his shoulders.

When he was gone, the team remained silent for a minute, thinking about what Robin had said. Finally, Kaldur brook the silence. 

"Robin is not as immature as he might act. In fact, I think he is oldest of all of us in what he has seen and gone through."

"Yeah," someone agreed, but no one paid attention to who it was. They all just stared at the door Robin had disappeared behind, wondering a million things about their little bird, none of them likely to ever be answered.


End file.
